『The Jim Craine Show, October 3, 2026』のカバーアート

The Jim Craine Show, October 3, 2026

The Jim Craine Show, October 3, 2026

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The Jim Craine Show Merrill Kelem, a retired officer with the Atlantic City Police Department has lived an interesting life. In addition to his career in law enforcement he found himself as a part of Frank Sinatra's inner circle. He also worked as a part of Frank Sinatra, Jr.'s organization until Sinatra, Jr.'s passing. Sinatra Bodyguard Stories and Atlantic City Memories with Merrill Kelem Jim Craine broadcasts from the Pleasantville Music Shop on a rainy Saturday and phones his longtime friend Merrill Kelem, a former Atlantic City police officer who worked as one of Frank Sinatra's bodyguards. The two trade stories about the Rat Pack, Caesars and Resorts, a benefit softball game, and the Atlantic City lifeguards and police they knew. Rainy Saturday Opening and Dr. Boris Sponsors Jim Craine opens the afternoon from the Pleasantville Music Shop on a rainy Saturday in southern New Jersey, greeting listeners and noting that the Halloween season is in full swing. He calls up his character Dr. Boris to read the sponsor list in a spooky voice, thanking Pleasantville Music Shop, The Maplewood Inns, Copiers Plus, and the Dr. Jonathan Pitney House and The Colonial Inn bed and breakfasts. Craine then turns to small business, urging listeners to support the local companies that sponsor the show. He mentions the shop's back-to-school instrument rentals for area schools, its vinyl records that can be played in the store, and a planned Toys for Tots show at ACIT in Mays Landing on December 5th, where people bring a toy to attend. He also points to the Birdcage restaurant in Atlantic City and a website, pleasantvillemusic.com, for more information. The rain and flooding from the previous week are on his mind as he teases the main guest coming up later in the hour. The Godfather Pitches Maplewood Inns The Godfather, another of Craine's recurring characters, takes the microphone next for a comic pitch for The Maplewood Inns in Hammonton, Vineland, and Mays Landing. In a gravelly voice, he praises the veal parmesan, chicken parmesan, ravioli, and spaghetti, and says the restaurants can cater a prom or host a wedding. He jokes that listeners can take a wife for an anniversary or a girlfriend to dinner, but never on the same night. He gives the inns three thumbs up and closes with a sign-off wishing listeners a good time and bon appétit. Craine returns to note that the show airs Saturdays from two to three Central time on the network, then introduces the guest, Merrill Kelem. He describes Kelem as a former Atlantic City police officer who was one of Frank Sinatra's bodyguards alongside his partner, Bobby, and calls him an old friend and one of his best pallies. Kelem is reached by phone from Ventnor, where he is looking out over the boardwalk on a dull, dingy day. Kelem Recalls Joining Sinatra's Circle Kelem, a Philly boy with family property near the Inlet, recalls thirty-one and a half years as an Atlantic City police officer. He says he got into Sinatra's circle through a buddy, Larry, who was a valet at the time, and that Skinny coached him on how to act around the boss: let him get comfortable around you, but never get comfortable around him. Kelem first met Sinatra at Caesars that same year, a month after gambling passed in Atlantic City. He says his work began in March 1977 at the Valley Forge Music Fair, where he ran the warehouse for the souvenir business, shipping and ordering merchandise, and that this earned their trust. He says Resorts opened the first week of April, over Easter weekend in 1978, and the hospital gala at Convention Hall that weekend was a highlight. Craine recalls ushering at Convention Hall and seeing Sinatra's steel-blue eyes, while Kelem notes he and Bobby may be the only ones alive in that photo. Pie Fights and the Red Eyes, Blue Eyes Game Craine asks Kelem to set the record straight about Pete Maggio, whom Craine remembers as Sinatra's driver. Kelem insists Maggio met the singer but never drove him, saying the only men who drove Sinatra were Kelem, Bobby, and Ritchie Ayub. The talk drifts to pie fights, and Kelem jokes that Sinatra loved banana cream pie, which the crew once used to hit Morty Storm square in the face. Craine remembers going backstage at The Sands, where Jilly stopped him at the door until Craine said he was there with Merrill. The centerpiece is a benefit softball game called Red Eyes, Blue Eyes, which Kelem dates to 1980 and says was for Wills Eye Hospital. Tommy Lasorda, coming down from a Dodgers game in Philadelphia, asked umpire Joe West to throw him out so he could reach Atlantic City by 11:30, and West staged it as an argument. Kelem says the game ended in an 18-18 tie when it was called, and he still keeps the Galliano bottle from that day. Frank Jr., Nancy, and Atlantic City Lifeguards Kelem calls Frank Sinatra Jr. his brother from another mother, and says a book about him is 99 percent nonsense, so listeners should not waste their money. Craine, who says ...
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